Steve O’Keefe will return to the Australian side for the last Test of the series against the West Indies, beginning tomorrow at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
O’Keefe replaces Peter Siddle, who is sitting out the match due to an ankle that skipper Steve Smith said “still isn’t 100 per cent”.
“He felt it wasn’t best for him to come into this Test match the way he is at the moment,” the skipper said.
“He’s a great team man and felt he would be letting the team down [if he played].
“We were probably going to go the two spinners option anyway.”
O’Keefe played his one and only Test match against Pakistan in Dubai in 2014, taking four wickets in a match Australia lost by 221 runs.
It’ll be the first time since 2006 that Australia has played two spinners in a Test match on home soil, and O’Keefe, working alongside Nathan Lyon, will be hoping to make it count after years of disappointment despite excellent domestic form.
“They have bowled well together,” said Smith.
“Hopefully they can do that this week and he [O’Keefe] can press claims for the Sri Lankan tour.
“He has got an opportunity now to become the second spinner.
“Hopefully the guys can get some purchase out of it.”
There are no other changes to the side that has dominated the West Indies in this series, winning the Hobart Test in three days and the MCG Test in four.
Shaun Marsh is still out of the side, despite putting together a dominant knock for the Perth Scorchers earlier this week.
With a 2-0 lead in hand, the last Test in the series is effectively a dead rubber. However, Australia will be very happy to pursue a whitewash.
Australia XI: David Warner, Joe Burns, Usman Khawaja, Steve Smith (capt), Adam Voges, Mitch Marsh, Peter Nevill, Steve O’Keefe, James Pattinson, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon.
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